Agency Problems and Airport Security: Quantitative and Qualitative Evidence on the Impact of Security Training

de Gramatica, M.; Massacci, F.; Shim, W.; Turhan, U.; Williams, J.

doi:10.1111/risa.12607

Agency Problems and Airport Security: Quantitative and Qualitative Evidence on the Impact of Security Training

de Gramatica, M.; Massacci, F.; Shim, W.; Turhan, U.; Williams, J.

Authors

M. de Gramatica

F. Massacci

W. Shim

U. Turhan

Professor Julian Williams julian.williams@durham.ac.uk
Head of Department

Abstract

We analyze the issue of agency costs in aviation security by combining results from a quantitative economic model with a qualitative study based on semi-structured interviews. Our model extends previous principal-agent models by combining the traditional fixed and varying monetary responses to physical and cognitive effort with nonmonetary welfare and potentially transferable value of employees' own human capital. To provide empirical evidence for the tradeoffs identified in the quantitative model, we have undertaken an extensive interview process with regulators, airport managers, security personnel, and those tasked with training security personnel from an airport operating in a relatively high-risk state, Turkey. Our results indicate that the effectiveness of additional training depends on the mix of “transferable skills” and “emotional” buy-in of the security agents. Principals need to identify on which side of a critical tipping point their agents are to ensure that additional training, with attached expectations of the burden of work, aligns the incentives of employees with the principals' own objectives.

Citation

de Gramatica, M., Massacci, F., Shim, W., Turhan, U., & Williams, J. (2017). Agency Problems and Airport Security: Quantitative and Qualitative Evidence on the Impact of Security Training. Risk Analysis, 37(2), 372-395. https://doi.org/10.1111/risa.12607

Journal Article Type	Article
Acceptance Date	Jan 15, 2016
Online Publication Date	Mar 31, 2016
Publication Date	Feb 1, 2017
Deposit Date	Jan 19, 2016
Publicly Available Date	Mar 31, 2018
Journal	Risk Analysis
Print ISSN	0272-4332
Electronic ISSN	1539-6924
Publisher	Wiley
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	37
Issue	2
Pages	372-395
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1111/risa.12607
Public URL	https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1391200

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Copyright Statement
This is the accepted version of the following article: de Gramatica, M., Massacci, F., Shim, W., Turhan, U. and Williams, J. (2016), Agency Problems and Airport Security: Quantitative and Qualitative Evidence on the Impact of Security Training. Risk Analysis, 37(2): 372-395, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1111/risa.12607. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance With Wiley Terms and Conditions for self-archiving.